World Cup 2022: Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe prepare for the showdown for the Golden Boot award

Argentina will face France for the privilege of hoisting football's top honour, and the Golden Boot also remains up for grabs.

Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are vying for the coveted prize.

Both Paris Saint-Germain teammates are tied with five points, but Messi presently leads Mbappe since he has three assists to Mbappe's two. However, don't discount Julian Alvarez or Olivier Giroud either.

Lionel Messi – Five goals, three assists

It has been a season for Messi, who, at age 35, has put on some of his best World Cup performances.

His final World Cup, and he still has a chance to finish it by hoisting the title.

When Argentina met Poland in the group stages, Wojciech Szczesny saved the Barcelona legend's penalty shot, which would have given him six goals.

Messi has scored in his past four games, and it is almost sure that he will strike again in the championship game.

However, he still has a strong chance of winning the golden boot ahead of Mbappe, Giroud, and Alvarez.

Kylian Mbappe – Five goals, two assists

Mbappe had an explosive World Cup debut, starting with three goals in four matches and tallying five goals.

He scored twice against Poland and Denmark and is on track to achieve an impressive tally.

Mbappe appeared to be pretty frustrated against the Atlas Lions, but don't be shocked if he performs well against Argentina.

Although England and Morocco mostly held him in check in the quarterfinals and semifinals, he has yet to be able to increase his total.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who will win the Golden Boot race❓ <a href="https://t.co/YiGBQ3NR3l">pic.twitter.com/YiGBQ3NR3l</a></p>&mdash; 433 (@433) <a href="https://twitter.com/433/status/1603667102195503106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Julian Alvarez – Four goals, no assists

Alvarez, who began the World Cup as a replacement, has had a nearly ideal tournament.

After Saudi Arabia's unexpected victory against the two-time world champions, the Manchester City striker started against Poland. HIs goal helped turn Argentina's campaign around.

He and Messi have forged a strong partnership, and he has excelled both on and off the ball. His chances of winning the Golden Boot are still quite good.

Olivier Giroud – Four goals, no assists

Regardless of what transpires in the championship game, Giroud will never forget this tournament as he broke the all-time goalscoring record for France.

The AC Milan forward has led the line well in Karim Benzema's absence and broke Thierry Henry's record during Les Bleus' victory against Poland.

It's what he does; he also scored the decisive second goal against England, and you could picture him scoring yet another important goal in the championship game.